Can you use tape on wrinkles?

Forget the expensive moisturizer and face masks if you’re trying to get rid of your wrinkles at home.

Rather, save your money and try something you already have handy around the house: tape.

While the thought to put tape on your face wrinkles at night seems silly, it’s a wonderful home remedy celebrities like Joan Crawford, Marlene Dietrich and Raquel Welch, to name a few, swore by.

With these tips on how to use tape to get rid of wrinkles, it won’t be a “Celebrity Secret” much longer.

Why do Wrinkles Form?

There’s a science behind why we age the way we do. As we grow older, our skin produces less oil, starts drying out, and loses its elasticity as it thins. This causes fine lines to form, particularly around the mouth. While moisturizers can help slow the drying, using household tape can also help get rid of the wrinkles that have already formed.

How to Use Tape to Get Rid of Wrinkles

• Clean and exfoliate. Before you roll out the tape, start by cleaning your face with a mild cleanser. Exfoliate with the cleanser on your face, which can be done by scrubbing with a towel in a circular direction. This will get rid of any dead skin. Afterwards, wash your face with cool water and gently dry yourself off; patting your face dry works better so you don’t irritate your skin more. Do not apply creams or moisturizer near the mouth or jaw, otherwise the tape will not stick naturally.
• Put the tape in place. Most women will need to cut a strand of tape about six inches long. Apply one end of the tape about a finger-nail length away from your mouth’s corners, parallel to the jaw line. Then, pull the tape taut, and press it onto your skin. The other end of the tape should be near your ear. Do the exact same thing starting on the other corner of your face.
• Apply more tape. While the above step will help with the fine lines near your mouth’s corners, you can also get rid of other wrinkles anywhere near the mouth by applying more tape. Just pull off a very small piece of tape, and stick and smooth it on any wrinkle near your mouth.
• Time for bed! While it may feel odd, head over to bed and perhaps pull out some good reads — whether it’s a book or magazine — to relax before falling asleep. The tape will stay on throughout the night, whether you sleep on your side, stomach or back. Once you wake up, you can remove all the tape and wash your face as you normally would.

The Science Between Taping Wrinkles

While you won’t wake up after one night of taping your face with no wrinkles, dermatologists have stated that doing this over time — every night for weeks, if not months, at least — can reduce the amount of fine facial wrinkles. This is because the tape stops you from scrunching or wrinkling your face, at least at night, and those are some of the causes of wrinkles.

Read more from Ali Lawrence on her blog, MarCom Land 

Editor’s note: be careful whenever using something on your skin not sold for that purpose. Office supplies might not be a good idea for your skin. Tester beware!
There are wrinkle tapes sold that are tested for skin application. We’ve tested the Frownies brand and had no reaction. Always test in an inconspicuous area of skin before you apply to your face.